Un Monde Sans Paix
by SilverPrince
Summary: XANA is gone, but his legacy remains. The US, Russia and Brazil have discovered their labs destroyed and full of robots. The evidence leads to France and soon, the world is embroiled in war and the Lyoko Warriors must end it. WILL NOT UPDATE. EVER.
1. Discoveries

Dr. Ivan Zubkov was very, very cold. He was riding in a snowplow from a train station on the Trans-Siberian railroad to a government laboratory. His job and his place of employment were classified, he couldn't even tell his wife. He didn't particularly like the job; he stayed in an isolated lab for half the year eating borsht and stroganoff and typed on a keyboard. There was also a factory of sorts, but he wasn't too sure what they did in that section of the lab, the Tech Division was purposely kept separate from the Manufacturing Division. Either way, the lab also housed the most powerful supercomputer in Asia.

He got off the snowplow and walked into the lab. It had been shut down since September, when they closed it due to the extreme cold. Now it was March, and after six months he was back to work. He flipped the switch and the lights slowly warmed up and began to cast a stark light on the lab. What Ivan saw astonished him.

He didn't often go to the Manufacturing Sector, but he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to look the way it did. There were strange robots all over, on the conveyor belts and on the floor and pretty much everywhere else. They had been there for a while, it would seem, because ice covered their exteriors, rendering them useless. Judging by the looks on the other's faces, this wasn't normal for Manufacturing. He walked to a computer terminal, stepping over frozen robots, and logged on to a computer terminal.

Login: Zubkov, Ivan V. 303815-4-2286903

MAIN SYSTEM DOWN. MAIN COMPUTER DOWN. LOGGING INTO AUXILLARY SYSTEM.

Ivan gasped. There was no way the Main Computer could be down, simply no way. The auxiliary system was next to useless, it ran on ancient, 5 year old servers, completely useless for what he needed the Main Computer for. "Someone, call someone important. We have been sabotaged," he said, desperately trying to access the system logs.

A few hours later, the President of the Russian Federation was on the phone with Ivan Zubkov. "Please, explain to me exactly what is going on."

"Certainly, Mr. President. When we got to the lab just a few hours ago, we found the main manufacturing room littered with strange robots. I don't work in that division, but I am told that robots are definitely not supposed to be made here. Also, the Main Computer, which was the most powerful supercomputer in Asia, is completely destroyed. Luckily, the system logs are backed up on our auxiliary system. Apparently, some kind of multi-agent system remotely accessed it through the Internet. From what we can tell, it appears to originate in the United States. And that is about it, sir," Dr. Zubkov explained.

There was a silence on the other end of the line. "I… see. I'll call you if anything arises." The line went dead.

"Politicians," grumbled Zubkov.

The Russian President sat in his chair, in a daze. Someone in the United States hacked the most powerful supercomputer in Asia? As he saw it, it could have only been their government. Would anyone else in the US care about Russian computers? The governments of Russia and the US weren't on exceptionally good terms at the moment, with Kosovo and all. He picked up his telephone and dialed the US Embassy in Moscow. He had a message to pass on to America.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in the exact opposite of Siberia, a group of natives walked through the jungle. Clutching spears and on the look out for animals they made their trek through their jungle home. The leader noticed a lack of sound, besides their feet on the jungle floor. No bird calls, no insects, no occasional growl from any animal. He and his comrades pushed through the jungle until they reached something that astonished them.

There was a chain-link fence, with a sign in the language of the Ones who Destroyed The Jungle. None of them could read it, but it didn't matter. They had no desire to enter, for it was not the building in the middle of their jungle that scared them. What scared them were the strange spiders, made of metal. They seemed to radiate hatred and evil. The hunting party's shaman knelt and uttered a prayer to the gods for the group to live. One in the group spoke. "We must go to them, and tell them of this. Certainly they know nothing of this. If we did not know, with our senses attuned to our home, they must not have known either." The leader nodded, and led them in a direction they hardly ever ventured- toward the end of the jungle, toward the home of the Ones who Destroyed.

Less than an hour later, a government team entered the jungle, following the group of natives. Clad in hiking boots and lab coats, the team slowly made its way to the laboratory. "What do you think happened?" One asked.

"Well, I don't speak their language, but apparently there are strange metal spiders in that lab in the jungle. We abandoned it a few months ago; it was too hard to get power to it. I don't see how there could be… oh, my God. _Spiders_."

They all stopped dead in their tracks. There were indeed robotic spiders all around the laboratory. The lead scientist unlocked the gate with his key and they walked in, stepping over and around the strange machines. They were all branded with the same symbol, a bulls-eye looking image with four prongs coming out of it. They entered the lab and all paled. The natives ran and fled, back to their homes. The hallway was almost literally crawling with apparently dead robot spiders. A few of them poked the spiders to affirm they were inactive, and then walked to the main chamber of the laboratory.

There was then a collective gasp. They walked into the main manufacturing chamber and saw that the spiders had been made at their own lab. "How… how can this be?" The lead scientist, Pedro Alvarez, asked. He walked over to the mainframe access, and logged in, or rather attempted to. He tried several times, but with no luck. "The whole mainframe is down! Literally! The hard drive has been physically destroyed. From what I can tell, some program remotely hacked us. It seems to have originated from… the United States?" Another collective gasp. "This is definitely going on the report."

Within a few hours, the news had made it up to the President of Brazil. "Let me get this straight. An abandoned government lab in the Amazon was hacked by the United States to produce… robotic spiders?" He asked the person who had given him possibly the strangest news of his life.

The advisor nodded. "Yes, sir. At least, that's what the report says."

"What on Earth does the US want with us? Especially with robot spiders in the Amazon?" The President replied. The advisor shrugged. "Well, I know one way to find out." He walked over to the desk and called his secretary. "Connect me to the US Embassy, please."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had recently been informed that her country was at the brink of war with Russia and Brazil. Within hours of each other, ambassadors from both nations had called her office with the news that the American government had apparently hacked secret government labs in Siberia and the Amazon. She was up to her neck in a diplomatic crisis, and had no clue where it had all come from. She was now on her way to a meeting with the ambassadors from Brazil and Russia, a clipboard in hand, full of scrawled notes.

She walked in the room, a standard diplomatic smile on her face. "Ambassadors. I'm glad you could make it here on such short notice," she said, shaking their hands.

"Oh, we made time for this, Secretary Rice," the Russian said, shaking her hand perhaps a little too firmly. The three ambassadors sat down at a small table, and the Secretary spoke first.

"As I understand it, laboratories in both of your countries have been hacked, and destroyed? And according to your logs, the hacker originated in America?"

"Yes. As far as I have been informed, a remote signal traced to a United States-regulated area of the Internet. My Russian colleague has said that his government did a more thorough search, and it originated from an Internet Protocol address owned by your government," explained the ambassador from Brazil.

His Russian counterpart nodded. "Yes. Our lab was found to contain strange robots. In Brazil, there were spiders, ours were not. Also, both robots had this symbol." He held up a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it, an eye of sorts, a dot surrounded by two rings, and four lines coming out of it. "Do you have any idea what it could mean?"

Condoleezza shook her head. "I can assure you that-" she began, but was interrupted by her cell phone. The Star-Spangled banner played. "I am very sorry, but it is one of my top advisors. Perhaps she can spread some light on the issue. Yes?"

There was a pause. "What do you mean, hacked? Are you- are you telling me that one of_our _laboratories has been hacked into? There are computer parts all over, and the mainframe has been destroyed? Have you figured out who is behind it?" There was another pause. "I… I see. Yes, thank you, Mary." She turned to face the ambassadors.

"Gentlemen, apparently one of our own labs, one run by the US National Security Agency, has also been hacked and used to manufacture robotic parts. The mainframe has been destroyed, but, like you, our backups remained safe. A remote program hacked our computers, and then from there went on to Brazil and Russia," she explained.

"Well isn't that convenient! In the middle of the meeting about hacked computers, you get a call that takes all the blame off you and puts it on someone else! Isn't that the typical American attitude?" The Russian said, angrily.

"Calm down," the Brazilian said. "Tell me, who were you hacked by?"

"Our sources say that the program seems to originate in France," the Secretary said.

"France? _France_? What problems would they have with us?" The Russian replied. "You must be making this up."

"Mr. Ambassador, there are robots in Russia, metal spiders in the Amazon and motherboards in New Mexico, and none of them should be there. I think that there is something going on that is definitely not normal. We need to figure out what is going on, and we are not enemies here. It would appear we have a common enemy, though, in France," said the Secretary.

Meanwhile, in a prestigious junior high school in France, a science teacher's phone rang. "Hello? This is Suzanne Hertz." There was a pause and her eyes lit up, to the surprise of her students, who were all watching. "Pedro! How nice to hear from you! I miss you so. How are things at that lab of yours, back home in Brazil? What… what do you mean, sabotaged? Robotic spiders? Are you… OK, Pedro?" At the mention of "robotic spiders", a student named Jeremie Belpois turned back and looked grimly at his friends.

"And… and you're telling me that the United States is behind it? Oh, oh you thought they were. Who was it then? Fr-France? Someone in France hacked government labs in Brazil? And Russia and the United States? This is incredible! But Pedro, I understand you are upset, but I do have a class to teach, my darling. Yes, I love you, and I will see you soon," Mrs. Hertz.

Just then, Jeremie raised his hand and asked "Mrs. Hertz? My stomach really, really hurts. I can barely walk. Can I go to the infirmary?" Frowning, the teacher nodded.

"Can we take him?" Asked his friends, Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia, and Aelita Hopper, in unison.

"Yes, fine, fine. But be back quickly, if you can," Mrs. Hertz said, as a hobbling Jeremie was escorted out of the room by his friends, clutching his stomach. Of course, they had no intention of seeing the nurse. They instead ran to the classroom of their friends, William and Yumi and waved through the window. Yumi all of a sudden had a headache, and William had to take her to see the nurse. However, they actually met up with their friends in the park.

"What's up, Jeremie? You haven't had to get us out of class like that for three weeks! Please, please, _please _don't say it's XANA," Yumi said.

"In a way, it is. You see, the Americans, Russians and Brazilians have discovered the labs that controlled the Replikas. They found out that something from France hacked into their systems, according to Mrs. Hertz's Brazilian boyfriend," explained Jeremie.

"You mean… Russia, America and Brazil all think that the French government hacked them? That could start a war! _Especially_ when it's America we're talking about!" William said. "Figures. The worst thing XANA has ever done happens _after_ he's gone."

"Jeremie… this is bigger than us. We can't stop a war by deactivating a tower, or using a multi-agent system. There is simply no way we can stop a conflict between countries. What are we supposed to do? Say that _we_destroyed the computers to stop a megalomaniac multi-agent system? We'd be in prison, juvenile or otherwise, for the rest of our lives! This is out of our hands," Aelita said somberly.

"It's not a war yet, Aelita. All we have to do is… well… we have to let them know that it wasn't the French government at all. It was just… the remnants of a secret French governmental project…" Jeremie said. "Well, not the current French government. But my point is that we have to anonymously prove that XANA did it," Jeremie said.

"And how, Einstein, are we going to do that? Odd asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we… I don't know. But I'll figure something out. I always do," Jeremie said. Aelita wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"I'm sure you will. But now we need to come up with an excuse for why we came back," she said.

A few minutes later, they all walked into the classroom. Mrs. Hertz, however, did not notice. The television was on, and everyone's eyes were locked on it. The President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was giving an address to the people of France.

"Good afternoon, citizens of France. I have recently been informed that the United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the Federative Republic of Brazil have discovered that laboratories belonging to their governments have been hacked, used to create robots, and then their computers destroyed. They have found, in their backup logs, information that is leading them to France.

Let me tell you that France is in no way responsible for these events, in any way." He would have gone on, but he was interrupted by the television going to static. Just then, something came in on the channel…


	2. War

President Nicolas Sarkozy's speech was interrupted by a man in a black suit and black sunglasses in a dark room, the only light a spotlight above him. "Greetings, citizens of the world. This message is being broadcast in France, the US, Russia, and Brazil, with appropriate subtitles, because it is of the utmost importance. We are an agency of the French government called the Hommes dans le Noir. We are so classified, not even the President knows we exist. We are above French law, and therefore, any international law applicable to France is non-applicable to us.

We were formed decades ago to end a French government project, never revealed to the public, called Project Carthage, which aimed to use computers to disrupt enemy, meaning Soviet, communications. However, the project soon began to go against the French government, and so we were formed. We serve as a sort of police force; we are the assassins, the ones who eliminate any force the French government deems needed to be eliminated. However, it would seem that we have failed at our first mission, even though it has been completed for over 12 years.

Project Carthage, or something based from it, still exists. We have determined that a type of artificial intelligence, what we call a 'multi-agent system' has gained sentience and attacked the United States, Russia, and Brazil through the Internet. We cannot locate it on any network, and presume it is now hidden on an area not connected to the Internet.

This multi-agent system has hacked the most powerful computers in the world and used the laboratories containing them to manufacture robots and robotic parts, for unknown purposes. We have to assume that it is acting on long-dormant Project Carthage protocols, unknowing that the Project is long gone. There is no longer any guiding force behind this system, it is acting on its own, a rouge AI.

We can only assume that this system has left protocols of its own in the systems of the American, Brazilian and Russian governments. With this kind of power, we must assume that by now, the multi-agent system, which we shall refer to as System X from now on, has now infiltrated the highest levels of government in these three nations. You must know that what we are about to do is a last resort effort. This is all for the greater good. We have revealed important government secrets to save the world. What our solution is gives us no solace."

The broadcast ended, returning to President Sarkozy, who was no longer talking, only watching behind him, an aide had a laptop showing the broadcast. When the French President discovered he was back on, he turned and faced the camera. "People of France. I have no clue who these Hommes dans le Noir are, or what they are about to do, but I can assure you that whatever it is, it will not endanger the people of France, or any nation allied with it, and Russia, Brazil and the US do fall into that category. Their solution, which they 'find no solace in', will certainly not affect us or our allies."

Meanwhile, far above the surface of the Earth, the Hommes dans le Noir's solution was in action. Three French-owned satellites positioned themselves over Moscow, Brasilia, and Washington, D.C. respectively. On each of these satellites was a French flag, accompanied by three letters: HDN- Hommes dans le Noir. They were allegedly military satellites, used only for espionage. But today, they had a much more sinister purpose. Each satellite was equipped with a deadly weapon, a highly accurate and highly destructive laser. Each orbiting weapon activated and charged. There were three fateful seconds, the last three seconds of peace on Earth before all hell broke loose.

Over Washington D.C., a crimson beam of light careened down from the skies and hit directly at the White House- in fact, directly on the Oval Office, in the middle of the Presidential work day. The building collapsed, the remnants of it reduced to burning rubble. Very few people managed to run out, screaming. The Capitol was the next target, within seconds it too was reduced to a smoldering crater. The beams of light struck again and again over the capital of the United States, and even into the neighboring city of Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon, home to the Department of Defense and much of the American intelligence community was shot thrice, reducing it to nothing. Even NSA headquarters, in Maryland, was destroyed. In less than ten minutes, the United States intelligence community had been reduced to nothing, and its highest government officials, such as the President, Vice President and many senators and representatives were all dead, not to mention countless civilians.

Hommes dans le Noir was not yet done. Over the skies of the Russian capital of Moscow, the Red Square was demolished by red beams. The Kremlin, home of the President, was destroyed. In a similar manner to the attacks on America, which had happened only minutes before, the Russian government was attacked, allegedly to destroy a multi-agent system which was long gone. The Hommes dans le Noir was ruthless, destructive, and unknowingly dead wrong. Their solution was murderous and pointless. And they were still not done.

Almost simultaneously, the beautiful city of Brasilia, the so called "Capital of Hope" was under attack as well. A laser beam flew down at the city, directly hitting the middle of the National Congress building, which fell like a house of burning cards. The Palácio do Planalto, workplace of the President of Brazil, was the next target. It and everyone in it was destroyed. The beautiful Monumental Axis, the garden that every important government building was located next to was in flames, people screaming and buildings smoking.

In a matter of minutes, the governments of three nations had been brought to their knees, and all in vain. The Hommes dans le Noir, unknowing that the entity they had sought to destroy was already gone, had just ended thousands of lives. The highest ranking people in three governments were dead. Thousands of innocent civilians were dead. Beautiful, irreplaceable buildings were destroyed. The physical and mental damage of this event was irrevocable, and the lead agent of the Hommes dans le Noir simply sat back in his office and sighed.

On the other end of the spectrum, Condoleezza Rice had never been this scared. She had been in her office, a strange report had just finished on TV, when a red beam came down from the sky and struck the capitol building. In that instant, she knew that the President was dead, as well as the Vice President and countless others. Condoleezza Rice was now President of the United States.

Every car on the road stopped, people got out and looked at the smoldering Capitol. Condi heard the laser strike several more times. This had been the solution that man had spoken about? He was talking in French, but she could read the subtitles. He had said that "This is all for the greater good" and "What our solution is gives us no solace", but this… this was not a solution for a mad computer virus. Had they any proof it had infiltrated the government at all? Most likely not. No, they had done it all on assumptions. It really was the fault of the French. She had a good idea of what her first act as President would be- asking Congress for a declaration of war. Or she would, if Congress were alive.

A few hours later, the story was broadcast everywhere, from CNN to Al Jazeera. The whole world knew that a secret French agency had attacked three nations. Conspiracy theorists noted that "Hommes dans le Noir" translated to "Men in Black". Millions wept and mourned, and the world remained in a stunned silence. One woman, however, was still speaking.

Condoleezza Rice placed her left hand on the Holy Bible, and her right in the air. She stood in front of the headquarters of the Department of State, and there was a small crowd gathering. Her words were being broadcast across the whole nation on radio and on CNN. With Chief Justice John Roberts standing near, and everyone looking scared, she said what the Justice told her to.

"I, Condoleezza Rice, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Her words were historical; she was the first woman and first African-American to ever be President, although she was only finishing of the term of the late George W. Bush, whose last term was to end in less than a year. After her swearing in, she turned and faced the crowd, placing her hands on the podium that read "President of the United States"

"Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of America, I'll make this speech brief. I am the first woman and the first African-American to ever hold this office, but that is not why this day is historic. Today, the Pentagon, the Capitol, White House and NSA headquarters were completely destroyed. Approximately 45,000 Americans lost their lives, making it the single largest attack on the US in history. In the nations of Russia and Brazil, thousands of innocents lost their lives, as well. May all our prayers go to the grieving families and friends there as well as here. This day, March 7, will forever be known as a day of terror throughout the world.

A French governmental agency, claiming to be above French and international law, is behind these attacks, using laser-armed military satellites to attack the capital cities of the US, Russia, and Brazil. The United States does not and will not recognize the claims of being above any law. These people will be brought to justice, as soon as possible.

And this country's wounds will heal. We have just risen from the ashes of September 11th, and now we must, like the phoenix, rise again from the ashes of terror. The motto of the city of Detroit is '_Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus_', which translates as 'We hope for good things, it shall rise from the ashes.' And trust me, good things will come. I will work my hardest during the short time I have to put this nation back on track, and I know that my successor will do the same.

Let us all get through this tragedy together, and may God, whoever God is to you, be with you."

President Rice stepped down from the podium, and gazed for a moment at the crowd of people who had crowded in front of the building. They gazed back at her, a multitude of eyes, representing a multitude of people. Some eyes were scared, others sought guidance, others sought revenge, and some were filled with tears. These were her people know, and she would make sure that they would all get what they wanted. She stepped into the Department of State headquarters, serving as the Capitol, and returned to her office. It was not oval, but it was the Office of the President of the United States.

Soon, the remaining cabinet members and four surviving congressmen joined her. Her cabinet consisted of the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of the Interior; her Congress was comprised of the Representative from Wyoming and three senators, the senior senator from Michigan, and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who had been away from Washington, campaigning.

"Well… this is it. You are Congress," she said to the Congressmen. "And you," she said, turning to the secretaries, "Are my cabinet. Together, we are the Rice Administration, at least for the time being. And I have a request. I wish for a declaration of War. What do you think?"

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs spoke. "Well, ma'am, as a former soldier, I must agree with you. We have been attacked, and logic dictates that we counterattack," he said. Everyone in the room nodded.

"Then Congress, you must vote. We need a majority, which would be 3 of you, in this case," President Rice said. All four Congressmen raised their hands. "Well then, by a unanimous decision, the United States hereby declares war on France." The President walked over to her telephone and dialed the French Embassy. "Hello, this is President Rice. I am informing you now that we are no longer allies. Everyone is to leave the embassy and the country. The United States has declared war on France, inform your government."

The students of Kadic academy all sat in stunned silence in their classrooms. A breaking news report came on and announced that the United States had declared war on France, and Russia and Brazil had followed. It was the scariest day of most of their lives, and especially for Jeremie Belpois and his friends.

William and Yumi and joined Odd, Jeremie, Aelita and Ulrich and were now all watching the television. One of their greatest allies had declared war on them. In fact, the two greatest nuclear powers were now against France, as well as the leading power in South America. The countries France was now at war with just happened to hold incredible sway in the international community. Aelita was hugging tightly onto Jeremie, whose eyes were locked on the television.

"France has appealed to the United Nations and NATO. The UN has released no statement, while NATO is currently trying to figure out what to do. A clause in the NATO treaty states that if a country declares war on one NATO country, they do to all NATO countries. However, no one knows what happens if one NATO country declares war on another.

According to our sources, no military forces have been assembled yet. As the governments of our new enemies are severely disabled at the moment, they have had difficulty reorganizing. President Sarkozy has reiterated several times that it was not his government that instigated the attacks, and that his hopes and prayers go out to the families of those who have suffered any losses."

The principal's voice came over the PA, and Mrs. Hertz muted the TV. "Students and teachers, this is Mr. Delmas. I am ending the school session for today. Please, all of you get in contact with your families and loved ones. This day is a tragedy for all of us, and it is imperative that you share this day with those who love you. Boarders are permitted to go home if they so desire. Thank you."

The Lyoko Warriors had no desire to go home. What they wanted to do was go to the factory and figure out a way to end this. However, Aelita had something different in mind. "This is over our heads, it really is. We can't stop a war! Mr. Delmas is right; you guys go home with your families. I'll… I guess I'll to the factory or…"

"No, you can come with me to my house," Jeremie said. "You shouldn't be alone at a time like this." He pulled out his cell phone and called his house. "Mom? Hi, it's Jeremie. Mr. Delmas closed the school for the day. Can Aelita and I go visit you and dad? Ha ha ha, very funny, Mom. _May _Aelita and I go visit you and dad? Thanks. Love you, bye." Jeremie took Aelita to wait outside for his parents, and the other Warriors called their own families.

And though they were splitting up for the time being, each and every one of them was formulating a plan. And so was a certain Jim Morales, who was with Mr. Delmas in his office. Jim had worked with the government, he knew what to do. Jim Morales had been a Man in Black, and this kind of thing is exactly why he left. Jim was going to stop the Hommes dans le Noir… if he could get help.


	3. The Guilt of Jim Morales

"Excuse me, sir. I think I'll go home, and leave you to your family," Jim Morales said to his employer and friend, Jean-Pierre Delmas. Jean-Pierre nodded. Jim left and walked out to his car- an old, beat up burgundy pickup truck. As he drove to his small apartment not far from the school where he worked, his mind was abuzz. The Hommes dans le Noir was his former employer. In fact, they were the reason he had started work at Kadic in the first place. And once he got out of the traffic, he remembered it vividly.

Back in his day, when he was fitter and younger, Jim was a martial arts legend. He knew seventeen different styles from three continents, and knew how to use them. One fateful night, a man in a suit and sunglasses knocked on his door- the very door Jim walked through to enter his home and slump on the couch- and told him that a government agency wanted his expertise. It was not a request. And to be honest, Jim wanted a real job. He had done many, many odd jobs before that. Sewer worker was his least favorite. And so Jim Morales became Agent Morales, and entered an agency so secret, not only the President knew it existed. Jim was a Man in Black; he was the stuff conspiracy theories were made of. He was in an agency of government sanctioned assassins, although he was on the lower rungs of the ladder. He was instead assigned to espionage- investigating cases, without killing. He was assigned to the oldest case in the agency- Project Carthage.

Project Carthage was a program to disrupt enemy communications using computers, _before_ the Internet linked the computers of the world. It had accelerated beyond the limits the government had set. And so, the government created and sent in the Hommes dans le Noir to fix the "problem". However, it proved to be a difficult case to crack, and so for years the agents waited and watched the program dwindle. After a few years, a man named Waldo Schaeffer came to power in the Project. No agent had ever seen him or gotten any information on him. That was, until the year 1986. Jim himself was digging through information when he discovered a "Franz Schaeffer-Hopper" living in the French Alps. Looking further into this man's life, he discovered his full name- Waldo Franz Schaeffer, with a wife named Antea Hopper.

The Hommes dans le Noir swooped in and took this vital part of Schaeffer's life- Antea Hopper- away, throwing her into their prison for the rest of her days. It was then that Jim discovered that Antea and Waldo had a little girl. It was that day that Jim Morales realized he was a monster. So Jim did a little research and found where Waldo- now living as Franz Hopper- had gone. But he did not share this information. Instead, he quit the agency by using his martial arts skills in a way he never would again. Jim would never get the blood stains fully from his hands, and he would never, ever talk about it.

Jim got a job as a Physical Education teacher at a nearby school, at about the same time Franz Hopper became the new Science teacher. Inside, Jim wanted to reconcile with himself over his guilt. In his mind, it was his fault that Antea Hopper, the mother and wife, was now trapped in a government prison. So he became friends with Mr. Hopper, always there to lend a hand in moving desks or for family troubles. Jim only wished that he could have helped that fateful day, the 50th anniversary of D-Day, June 6th, 1994.

Jim knew exactly what happened that day and why. The Hommes dans le Noir found him, and found Waldo Schaeffer. That was Jim's fault, too. If he hadn't wished to fix his own guilt, and had gone far away, the Hoppers would have been safe. But they ran away, and no one knew what happened to them. The Hommes dans le Noir considered the case closed and the world considered the Hoppers to be dead.

Jim shut his eyes and bowed his head for a moment to honor the memory of Franz and… what was the girl's name? And then it hit him, like a ton of bricks, or a beaver from Quebec. It was _Aelita_. She had been a student; she had pink hair and stunning green eyes. It was impossible, it just couldn't be. She was just like the Aelita he knew today; kind, caring, funny, and smart. It seemed to break the laws of physics. It was crazy. Loco.

Lyoko! There was a white flash in Jim's head, and suddenly he remembered. He had been dreaming about it for a year, the strange green laboratory, the strange roach monsters and his nail gun, the paranoia, the injured boy, and the girl in pink that appeared in the scanner. It was like coming out of amnesia, it was almost indescribable. Jim remembered everything. Jeremie Belpois and his friends went to the park to fight in a virtual world against a thing named XANA. In fact, it was the very lab that Waldo Schaeffer had worked in with Project Carthage. Lyoko _was_ Project Carthage. And if it was… then XANA had caused the war. Jeremie, Yumi, Ulrich and Odd had lost their battle, it would seem.

Jim had found the allies he needed to bring down his former employers. With them on his side, surely they would find a way to stop the Hommes dans le Noir. Jim got on his computer and accessed the Kadic employee-only files, the student records. The only recorded phone number for Aelita Stones appeared to be a cell phone, so he picked up his own phone and dialed.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to your home again," Aelita said as she walked in with Jeremie into the Belpois residence.

"Oh, it's no problem, dear. We want you to be safe, and a friend of Jeremie's is always family," Mrs. Belpois said, with a smile. Aelita was going to say something, but her cell phone rang. She picked it up.

"I'd like to speak with Aelita Hopper," a somewhat familiar voice said.

"Wh-what? Who are you?" Aelita said, scared. Jeremie turned and looked.

"This is Jimbo. Jim Morales. I was there the day you were first brought to Earth from Lyoko. Tell Jeremie I remember everything, and tell him I have an idea," Jim said, in a tone of voice she had never heard him use before. It was confident, determined, and cold. Like the Man in Black on TV.

"Uh, Jeremie… Jim says that he remembers everything," Aelita said. "Uh… about your ridiculous excuse for getting out of PE today," she added to throw off the parents. Jeremie's jaw dropped, and he held his hand out for the phone. Aelita gave it to him and they walked to Jeremie's room.

"Jim, this is Jeremie. How… how do you remember?" Jeremie asked, with amazement in his voice.

"I was thinking about what happened on June 6th, 1994, the day my fellow teacher Franz Hopper disappeared with his daughter. I never remembered her name until today, it was Aelita. That's no coincidence. And then it jogged my memory about Lyoko and XANA. It was XANA who caused this war, Jeremie, I know it. And I need your help to end this war. With you, your friends and I, we can stop it," Jim said.

"Well… alright. We're all spending time with our families tonight. But tomorrow morning, we'll meet in the factory. We'll figure something out," Jeremie said.

"Roger. Now can you give the phone back to Aelita? I need to speak to her," Jim said. Jeremie gave the pink phone back to its owner. "Aelita. Before I tell you this, I want to say that I am sorry, and that I hope you can forgive me." Before Aelita could ask why, Jim explained to her all his guilt, about how her mother had been captured and her father was found.

Aelita was silent for a long time, listening to Jim talk. She fell slowly to her knees, tears rolling from her eyes. After Jim was done, Aelita was silent some more. And then, shakily, she spoke. "Jim… Jim, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known… you didn't know. You were doing your job the day she was captured. And after she was, you became my father's friend. He respected and cared about you, and that's good enough for me. Daddy is gone… he sacrificed himself to stop XANA. But I know he considered you a friend until the day he died."

"You mean… XANA is gone? He didn't hack the labs?" Jim asked, confused.

"He did hack the labs, but we stopped him by destroying the computers. So it is partially our fault. But then we stopped XANA. He was long gone by the time the Hommes dans le Noir attacked," Aelita explained, getting back on her feet.

"Idiot bastards!" Jim exclaimed, then said "Excuse my language. But I'll leave you now. And I'm sorry. Goodbye." The line went dead.

Aelita turned to a confused Jeremie. "Boy, have I got a lot to tell you."

The next day, Kadic was back open. The French military was on high alert, guarding Paris and all of her suburbs, including Boulogne-Billancourt. Jets flew over the skies of the City of Lights with scary regularity. There were no people bustling out and about, and Jeremie noticed that the crowd of people entering Kadic was much thinner this morning than usual. Luckily, every Lyoko Warrior was there, and once they were all at the breakfast table like usual, Jeremie told them what was going on.

"Jim is with us to find a way to end this. He used to work for the Hommes dans le Noir, and he says we need each other. He's going to get us out of class but I don't know how…" Jeremie said, but was interrupted by Jim.

"Listen up! I know spirits are down today, so I want to invite some students on a little trip with me," Jim said. Several students raised their hands. "I think I'll go by grades, seeing as how if your grades are high enough, you can afford to miss a day. So… Belpois! You and… oh, I don't know… 4 of your friends can go."

"Aelita, Odd, Ulrich and Yumi," Jeremie said quickly.

"That's ridiculous! And so not fair! Odd and Ulrich have horrible grades!" Hervé said. "And where are you going, anyway?"

"I think it'll be a fun time. We're going to the Paris Escargot Expo," Jim said with a grin on his face. All of a sudden the rest of the students didn't care anymore.

"Have fun with the snails," Hervé said with a sneer. With looks of fake despair, Jeremie and friends followed Jim out to allegedly the staff parking lot, although they really headed to the rusty manhole in the park.

Although Jim was a little slow, the gang eventually reached the factory. Meeting in the laboratory, Jim spoke. "Today is the day that I am going to talk about it," the gym teacher began. "I was first employed by the Hommes dans le Noir for my martial arts prowess. However, the only job I got was Project Carthage, the oldest and most dreaded case in the agency. I ended up unearthing some information about the head of the Project, Waldo Schaeffer. I found out that he went by Franz and that he had a wife. I never knew he had a daughter. So Antea Hopper was captured and if she hasn't… passed away… she's still in the prison, wasting away. I realized this; I realized that I was a monster. So I left the agency and went to work at Kadic. I became friends with Franz Hopper to reconcile my guilt. I was friends with him until the day he disappeared, and it's my fault that happened, too. They found me, and through me they found him. I can't believe I never remembered it until now, but I remember Hopper's daughter as student. And I never made the connection until yesterday. It jogged my memory of all of this, and so now I am here. We're going to stop the Hommes dans le Noir."

"How are we supposed to stop such a powerful government agency?" Yumi asked, after there was a silence.

"We infiltrate their headquarters and teach them some sense, one way or another," Jim said. "I know all their weaknesses."

"You want us to… sneak into a government agency headquarters and somehow force them to stop?" Odd asked.

"Yes," said Jim. "You all are small, you can sneak around easily and I am big, with brute force and strength. We make a good team. We've worked together before."

"That was against Kankrelats. This is something entirely different. And once we get in there, what are we supposed to do?" Jeremie asked.

"I'd… rather not talk about it," Jim said, somewhat coldly. The children got the idea. "You guys… there's more to me than you could have ever known. There's a reason I'm so… hard on you in my class. I use sports to teach you discipline, which is an incredibly valuable skill. If you can't restrain yourself… bad things can happen. You could end up like me. I get the impression that many people think I'm not too bright. I'm very intelligent… but I've become afraid to use my knowledge. And I see a bright student like Jeremie Belpois, a determined one like Ulrich Stern, a wise one like Yumi Ishiyama, and their friends go off and play pranks and skip classes to go somewhere in the park… it just seemed a waste of such good potential to me. You kids, you're my life. The fact that I can mold your minds to never make my mistakes, and to grow up and be great members of the community gives me a good feeling inside. Hence all my anecdotes and jokes, I say them when I'm in a good mood. But when I'm not… I'm a monst-"

Aelita interrupted him. "No, Jim, you're not. You have more than one side, just like all of us do. You've done things none of us done, but you have stopped and what you did do made you all the wiser. All the odd jobs you've done, and your experience in these matters with the Hommes dans le Noir has made you the expert we need. Jim Morales, you listen to me. You are _not_ a monster. You have made mistakes, we all do. We're all human. It is not you fault that my father disappeared and was captured by XANA. It is not your fault that my mother was captured. But you know what you did do? You trained us for combat, you gave us discipline, as a teacher you have taught us life lessons that we will use all our life. You're a mentor, not a monster. And don't you ever, _ever_ forget that.

A tear rolled down Jim's cheek. "Do you… really mean that?" Aelita nodded, then walked over and hugged Jim tightly.

"I swear it," she said softly. However, the tender moment was broken by a sound that had not been heard since the Cold War.

"Air raid sirens!" Ulrich shouted. "To the Supercomputer room, it's the safest!" They all ran to the elevator, fearing for their lives and the lives of their friends and family. The war had begun in earnest- the Americans were attacking.


	4. Counter Attack

President Condoleezza Rice was very tired. She had stayed awake all night to organize a treaty between the United States, Russia and Brazil. She and the new leaders of Brazil and Russia all met in Hawaii, to be as distant as possible from their European adversary. The Treaty of Honolulu formally organized the three allies against France. After the signing of the treaty, the President flew back to the US. On Air Force One, she ordered a counter-attack on France. 

The President severely needed sleep, but only a few minutes after getting into her bed, she was woken up. "Madam President," the aide said "NATO had informed us that they have reached a decision."

"Well? What is it?" She said, hiding the grogginess in her voice.

"The United States has been suspended from NATO indefinitely. Also, every remaining NATO country has declared war on the three signers of the Treaty of Honolulu," was the reply.

That woke the President up, as the reality dawned on her. "This… this is more than a war against France. This is World War III. And if we're against NATO… we're at war with Canada…" President Rice, still in the Presidential Pajamas, threw on a robe and ran to her office, her aide following close behind. "Mary, I need you to go wake Congress, all four people, and get the Cabinet," the President said as she ran into her office, turned on the lights and got to the phone. She was about to dial the Department of Defense when she remembered it didn't exist anymore. So she dialed another number- NORAD.

"This is President Rice, and NORAD is now in control of all of America's defenses. You are the Department of Defense. I am ordering us to DEFCON 2 and I need you to secure the border with Canada, as much of it as you can," the President said.

"But ma'am, the International Boundary is one of the longest borders in the world! How on Earth are we supposed to secure that? And why?" The director of NORAD responded.

"Because we are at war with NATO. All of it. I don't know how, you're the military brains among us. Just secure the damn border!" President Rice responded, and then hung up. Mary came back with Congress and the Cabinet. "Members of Congress and the Cabinet, we are now in World War III. I'm sorry to have woken you at such an hour, but it is an emergency."

"Your aide Mary mentioned a war with NATO. How can we defend ourselves without a Department of Defense?" Senator Obama asked.

"NORAD is now the Department of Defense," President Rice replied. 

"Can you… do that?" Senator Clinton asked. "I know it's necessary… but I don't know if you can do that legally. Honestly, Madam President, it seems like we're just a hindrance. I think that you should… dissolve the Congress. There's only 4 of us, for God's sake. There's nothing in the constitution about a situation when most of the Federal government is dead."

"She's right. All for bestowing all powers of Congress and the Legislative Branch to the President, only for the remainder of the war or her term, whichever comes first?" Senator Obama asked. "We'll need to be unanimous on this one."

Three of the four raised their hands. The Senator from Michigan, Carl Levin, said "I'm sorry, Madam President, but we can't descend into a state of totalitarianism because the government is dead. It would be wise, however, to declare Martial Law. Also, any powers relating to war or the military, and those only, should be passed on to the President."

The other three all agreed, and the President nodded. "Then it's agreed. In a few hours I'll address the nation about it. You all go back and get some sleep."

The President, however, did not get any sleep. For the good of her nation, she stayed awake and drafted a plan to reorganize the US government. She understood that if her country was at war, it needed an organized government. And her sleep was much less important that the survival of her country and her people. So, at Noon, Eastern Standard Time, she gave an address from in front of the Harry S. Truman building, the headquarters of the Department of State and the Capitol of the United States.

"Citizens of the United States, good afternoon. It is my duty to inform you that at about 3:00 AM this morning, I was informed that the United States is no longer a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. Also, every country remaining in NATO has declared war on the United States and our allies in this war, Russia and Brazil. By most definitions, this war could be called World War III. 

The government of the United States is currently not organized enough to fight a war, so I have drafted a plan to reorganize our government. I will select a Vice President and replacements for the Cabinet. We will also need a new Congress, so I am declaring that 47 of the 50 governor will need to select one representative for the new and temporary Unicameral Congress. After an interim Congress is set up, states will prepare to elect a full Congress. Michigan, Illinois and Wyoming, the only states with surviving congressmen, will not need to select representatives. The Vice President will serve as President of the Congress, and will select a President Pro Tempore. The Vice President will also serve as the Speaker, as there is no longer a House. My selection for Vice President is Hillary Rodham Clinton. I have selected Mrs. Clinton because she is the most-experienced of the living politicians that have served in the national government. Once we have a congress, they will vote on my selections for the Cabinet.

The United States Military is now under my direct control. The highest-ranking surviving members of each service branch will now report directly to me. NORAD now serves as the Department of Defense, and is in charge of all defensive efforts. They have ordered that ever state sharing a border with Canada to put their National Guard on guard. The United States is hereby at DEFCON 2, and in the case of any attack, will be placed at DEFCON 1. I am also declaring a state of Martial Law. 

"As for the National Security Agency, our nation's cryptography agency, I have relegated the duties of code breaking and cryptography to the FBI and CIA, whichever is appropriate for whatever code needs to be broken. The American way of life will go on. We will honor and remember the 45,000 lives lost by continuing to live our lives the way we did before. We will not let the actions of our enemies tarnish our culture. We are the Home of the Brave, and we will live our lives as such. I will now take questions."

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair raised her hands. "Marie Carthage, MSNBC. I'm wondering, ma'am, whether it is legal for governors to appoint representatives without an election."

"Time is a luxury we do not have. The United States needs a government to function, especially in a time of war. This is only an interim effort, and we don't have any other viable options. I would very much prefer democratic elections, but we just do not have the time," the President replied, than pointed to another reporter.

A man with curly brownish hair stood up. "Chester Benton, with CBS, and my question is how exactly do you plan to defend the whole border with Canada?"

"Well, I can't reveal our whole military strategy over national television, of course. But we have mobilized the National Guard and the Army, and all Air Force bases near Canada have been put on high alert. Cities like Detroit, Seattle, and other major population centers near the Canadian border are being evacuated as best as can be done. I'll take one last question."

The President chose a man with straight brown hair. "Lucas Benjamin, ABC. Madam President, we are at war with nuclear powers. Do you think this could escalate into nuclear war?"

There was a slight pause. "I pray that it will not ever come to that. Our ally Russia considered a nuclear attack, but we are all wise enough to know that a nuclear war would be so detrimental it would have no good effects. The United States nuclear arsenal will serve only as a very last resort, and I pledge that the United States will only use its nuclear weapons if attacked with them first," she then said. "This concludes the press conference. God bless America." The President walked back into the Truman building.

She sat at her desk and stared out the window for a few minutes, out of exhaustion and worry. She could see the remains of the Capitol building. She also saw the reflection of her advisor behind her.

"You really should get some sleep, Madam President," the advisor Mary said, standing in the open doorframe.

"Mary, I've known you since college. You've been my friend, confidante, and now personal advisor for what seems like a while. I value your ideas, and I want to ask you something. Do you think I can do this? I can't direct armies, I can't wage war. I'm afraid, Mary. Afraid for my country, and afraid for my world."

Mary did not hesitate. "Condi, listen to me. The last thing this country needs is a leader who isn't confident in herself. I know you can do this, and the country knows you can do this. The whole nation is behind you, Condi, Democrat, Republican or whatever. You are going to lead this country to victory, no doubt about it."

"Thank you, Mary. I think I'll go to sleep now," said the President, standing up. "Wake me if anything important happens." She walked down the hall to her new bedroom, in the "Capitol". It was her own little White House. She only bothered to take of her shoes, socks and suit jacket, then crawled into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Meanwhile, the air raid over Paris had been raging for hours. American and now Russian planes soared in the skies of Paris, opposed by planes from a myriad of European countries, France, Spain, Great Britain and even a few Germans. The flames and explosions in the sky gave a new definition to the City of Lights. Bases in Paris burned, and the next target for the Treaty of Honolulu powers was the French capitol. They were also under strict orders to prevent as many civilian deaths as possible.

Down the river, in an old abandoned factory, the Lyoko Warriors plus Jim were all in the Supercomputer room. The sounds of war could even be heard there. The children were all pale with fear, but Jim seemed to be unfazed. He was, unfortunately, used to violence in the real world. Jeremie stared blankly at the large circle in the middle of the room, branded with the symbol for Project Carthage, Lyoko, and eventually XANA, underneath which was the Supercomputer, home to Lyoko and once their supreme enemy, XANA.

"I have an idea," Jeremie said out of nowhere.

"For what?" Aelita asked.

"When we infiltrate the Men in Black, you will go in your Lyoko forms. I'll use the Supercomputer," Jeremie said.

"But you need to be in a Replika on the network that corresponds to a real location to teleport from Lyoko to Earth," Aelita said. "And there aren't any left."

"We don't necessarily need a Replika, just a supercomputer on the other end, and there's no doubt these guys have one. I just need to hack it, and there's no computer I can't hack into," Jeremie said.

"This is different, Belp- er, Jeremie. This is the Hommes dans le Noir. You can't possibly expect to be able to crack their codes. It would be like hacking into the American CIA or something," Jim said.

Jeremie smirked, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "It should be no problem then." Everyone stared blankly at Jeremie. Jim's jaw dropped. 

"As your teacher, I am appalled that you have broken… international laws and hacked the American government. However, I am also very, very impressed. You _are_good with computers," Jim said.

"But… turning the Supercomputer back on? Are you sure?" Yumi asked.

"XANA is dead, there's no harm in it. The Supercomputer can only be of help to us, now," said Jeremie. He knelt down to the rim of the circle on the floor and pressed a small button. The circle split into thirds, and soon the ominous profile of the Supercomputer rose from the floor. He pressed a button on the Supercomputer and revealed the lever to turn it on. Pausing for only a short moment, he switched the lever into the on position. Life returned to the device and it lit up once more. "Well… let's get to work," Jeremie said, clapping his hands together.

As the Lyoko Warriors began to discuss a plan, there was a tense discourse going on in the United Nations headquarters, as the member nations had gathered to discuss the war. The ambassador from Israel was standing up and speaking. "Israel firmly stands by its ally, the United States. They have lost many, many lives and have the right to defend themselves. In fact, I have been informed that Israel puts its full support behind the signers of the Treaty of Honolulu, and wishes to sign and pledge its military."

The British ambassador stood up. "There is no need to escalate this conflict more than it already has been. Obviously, this all centers on a huge misunderstanding than can be fixed."

"And you will ignore the thousands of Brazilian, American and Russian lives that have been lost due to the French?" The Brazilian ambassador replied angrily. "Are they really all alive, but we only misunderstood them to be dead? France has attacked us, and so we attacked them back."

"The nation of Columbia stands behind its allies of Brazil and the United States," said the Columbian ambassador. The ambassadors from Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina stood up in agreement.

The Mexican ambassador stood up next. "We, too, join with our allies to north and south. The French attacks are an atrocity and need to be dealt with. NATO is making a humongous mistake by siding against these blatant attackers."

The French ambassador stood up. "The French government had nothing to do with these attacks! Absolutely nothing! This 'Hommes dans le Noir' agency acted outside French control! Our allies in NATO were smart enough to understand that!"

The ambassador from Ukraine replied "Someone in your government must have known! And why do you not go against these Hommes dans le Noir! They are a_French _agency, are they not? Ukraine stands by her ally, Russia."

"As does Kazakhstan!" Said the ambassador from that nation.

"Australia has decided to act along with Great Britain," said the Australian ambassador. The ambassador from New Zealand stood up in agreement. 

"South Korea stands by the United States," said the South Korean ambassador.

Apparently finally swayed by his nation's move to take a side, Secretary-General Moon spoke up. "Ambassadors, please! This organization is dedicated to peace! This is not the place to take sides in a war." Hearing this, the ambassadors from those nations who had chosen their side stood up and left. The Secretary-General sighed and looked down. "This has become a world without peace," he said sadly, to himself.

* * *

Hey look! I figured out how to add author's notes. I'd just like to comment that if I have messed up with the way the American government or the United Nations works, I apologize. But hey, for all we know, things work just like this in the Code Lyoko universe. Heh heh. 


	5. Preparation

"Discussions at the United Nations have reached a dead stop as several nations' ambassadors have simply walked out. The war has rapidly escalated as several nations have taken sides. Such nations as Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia…" said the news anchor, reading the teleprompter and become visibly more scared with each line. The Lyoko Warriors watched as the reporter listed off countries from Jeremie's monitor.

"America's President Rice was right," Jeremie said sadly. "This really is World War III. And it's all our fault. Why didn't we get rid of those robots, or leave some kind of explanation or _something_? It was our job to stop XANA… and even though he's gone, we've failed. XANA has brought about the possible end of humanity."

"That's why we're making a plan, Jeremie. To stop the bad guys, just like we always do. Only this time, there are simply more of them. And we've got Jim on our side, he knows everything there is to know about these people," Aelita said, placing a reassuring hand on Jeremie's shoulder.

Jim, who had been crudely drawing a diagram of the base, motioned for attention. "Here it is. It's a massive complex, located in underground at the French-controlled island of Corsica, near Italy. Billions of taxpayer's Francs spent building that thing, and the government never even knew. It's not only a headquarters, it's a prison. All the people they've captured over the years they leave in there for the rest of their lives. I haven't been in the place for years, but I remember it like the back of my hand. Jeremie, you need a supercomputer? They've got one in the prison area, they use it to coordinate security and hold all their data. I don't remember it ever being guarded. Once we get in, we'll have to sneak through the area and get up to the main building. Obviously, it'll be crawling with agents. They won't have guns, but their all experts in hand-to-hand."

Ulrich stopped him. "What are we supposed to be doing? Killing them all?" He looked very scared. "We're not soldiers!"

Jim shook his head. "Of course not. You want to simply incapacitate them- knock them out. You need to get to the Director's office. He's in charge. Knock him out and use his computer to shut down the satellites and give all his access codes to the President. That way, they can't do anything more. France informs the world that the treat is gone and there can hopefully be peace."

"Hopefully?" Yumi asked.

"All we can do is stop the people who started the war and hopes that stops everything else. We're not diplomats or politicians; we can't do any more than that. It's not like we can go to America's president and politely ask her to stop," Jim explained. "Now, Jeremie, how are we supposed to get there?"

"Through Lyoko," he said. "I virtualize you all onto Lyoko, and from there I can open a connection to the Hommes dans le Noir supercomputer through a tower. I materialize you there and Jim's plan begins. I'll monitor you from here, like I always do."

"What? Not up for fighting secret agents to save the world from World War III?" Odd asked in his typical humorous attitude.

"Somebody has to watch and tell you when there are agents coming around the corner. Well, I'd better get started. You guys go down to the scanner room. I'll get you to Lyoko. Teach Jim the basics and then you guys should train. This is more than just a regular mission," Jeremie said.

The others nodded and walked back to the elevator. "I wonder if Jim will fit in the scanner," Odd said with a smirk and chuckled. Jim glared at him, and Odd was instantly silent. "Ladies first," Odd said to Aelita and Yumi once the door opened again. With a chuckle, Jim pushed him out with them.

"Transfer, Aelita. Transfer, Yumi. Transfer, Odd. Scanner, Aelita. Scanner, Yumi. Scanner, Odd. Virtualization!" Jeremie said, sending the three into the virtual world they thought they had left forever. "Jim, step into a scanner. Don't worry," he said.

Ulrich considered making a remark about Jim fitting into the scanner, but thought against it. Instead, he simply gave Jim a thumbs-up as the doors closed. Jim seemed to fit in the scanner with more than enough room.

"Transfer, Ulrich. Transfer- oh, we don't have the time. Transfer, Scanner, Virtualization," Jeremie said. "I wonder why even say it out loud anyway."

The Lyoko Warriors looked around, awed into silence. The forest looked exactly the same as it always did, but the fact that they were back on Lyoko after they assumed it was over had an effect on them. "I never thought… we'd ever be back," Yumi said quietly. "But let's get started. You look pretty good, Jimbo."

Jim looked down. He was in a simple red jumpsuit, with a black belt and a brown headband. He had no visible weapons, but he did have thick brown gloves and boots. He was no longer fat but muscular and strong. His hair was slicked back; his face smooth and lacked the usual bandage. His face split into a grin. "I like it. Perfect for my style," he said, examining a glove. "Yumi's right! Let's get going!" He clapped his hands together, and a gold shockwave shot out, accompanied by a boom.

"Whoa. Pretty cool," Ulrich said, watching the wave hit a tree, making it shudder.

"Alright, everyone. I'm leaving Jim in charge because I'm going to be pretty occupied with the hacking. When I tell you to, get into the tower nearby, I'm activating it. Other than that, train like you've never trained before," Jeremie's voice said, echoing from nowhere.

Jeremie cracked his knuckles. He was the greatest hacker he knew, but he could never know if he was good enough to crack the Men in Black. But he _had _to. His friends were depending on him, and the fate of the world was at stake… again. His fingers madly danced across the keyboard in an insane mambo, his eyes watching the data shooting across the screen, looking for any trace of these people. Even with a supercomputer, this would take a while.

"The agents Hommes dans le Noir are experts in combat with firearms and hand-to-hand. You all are not. But luckily, we have the bonuses of my knowledge of their weakness, and your Lyoko weapons. Remember that you are aiming to incapacitate." He gestured for Ulrich to walk up. "Here's a useful technique," Jim said. "Almost guaranteed to get loose of one that has grabbed hold of you."

"I wish these guys would stop getting loose from me," Jeremie mumbled. He had barely scratched the surface of the codes for the supercomputer. "I manage to find an access to this thing buried in some website for colored paper clips but the codes are so danged complicated. Are encryption codes this complicated even legal? Oh, right. They don't have to be." Jeremie sighed.

The Warriors, meanwhile, were sparring with each other, with Jim supervising. "Very good, Odd. You're very limber for such a scrawny thing."

"I'm not scrawny, I'm svelte! How many times will I have to-" he began, but Ulrich tripped him and made him fall over.

"Aelita, you're holding up pretty good against such an expert as Yumi," Jim said. "I never would have imagined you kids were such… warriors. How are you doing, Jeremie?" Jim called up. "Any progress?"

"I've written a program to try random combinations to get into the system. It's too simple to be caught by a scanner, but it should work… in a while," Jeremie replied.

"Didn't you say you hacked the FBI?" Jim asked. "You must be some kind of prodigy."

"All I did was smirk silently. I did manage to get into the FBI's computer… but only far enough to access the cafeteria lunch menu. Apparently they have nachos on Thursdays," Jeremie admitted.

"Well, it's a start," Jim said. "You keep working. We're depending on you."

"Tell me about it," Jeremie mumbled. While his program was doing its work, he gazed at the television feed on one of the monitors.

"Several Islamic nations have sided with NATO, going against Israel. Cuba and Venezuela have sided against Brazil. The former Soviet republics not in NATO have sided against Russia's enemies, while Poland and Greece have actually left NATO to side with the United States. China has pledged to remain neutral, and Pakistan is allegedly torn between sides," said the reporter. "Meanwhile, air raids against Paris have left several bases all across the city in ruins…"

Something beeped, and Jeremie looked. His program had cracked into the upper layers of the computer. "I've made some progress. I'm in, but now I need to get the resources to get them there," Jeremie said quietly.

Meanwhile, Sissi and her friends were talking just as quietly in Mrs. Hertz's class. "I don't buy this escargot thing for a second. And why would they go to _Paris_ during an _American air raid_?" Sissi asked.

"Well… it does seem weird. But where do you think they are, Sissi? Nicolas asked.

Sissi smirked. "I don't know, but Jim is in on it. It's some kind of conspiracy, and I intend to find out about it. We need to get out of class," she said.

"How?" Asked Herve.

"Same way everybody does, stupid," Sissi said. She raised her hand, her other hand clutching her stomach. "Mrs. Hertz, can Herve and Nicolas take me to the infirmary?"

Mrs. Hertz looked up. "Why?" Sissi looked down at the abdomen she was clutching, and then looked back up at Mrs. Hertz with the kind of glare only girls can give. "O-oh. I… see. Please, go," the teacher said. With an unseen smirk, Sissi left the room, accompanied by Nicolas and Herve.

After they were out of the building, Nicolas asked "Where are we going to go, Sissi?"

"I always hear Jim grumbling to my father about Ulrich and his friends disappearing in the park. He's been saying it since… like, the beginning of last school year. Even before Aelita came from Canada or wherever. Anyway, we're going to check out the park," Sissi explained.

"I thought you guys were all _friendly_ with each other now, ever since that time you tried to put a tracking device on Ulrich," Herve said.

"Well, sure. And as their friend I have the right to now whatever it is they're doing with Jim," Sissi said. She lead the way into the forest, and then randomly through the forest until they were thoroughly lost. "Herve! Where are we?" Sissi barked.

"Uh… uh… well… I don't know. You're supposed to know where we're going! As far as I can tell, we've been walking in circles," he explained.

Sissi stamped her foot and heard a clank. She looked down, and there was a rusty manhole cover under her foot. "Hmmmm," she said. "My female intuition is telling me to go down there."

"You have female intuition, Sissi?" Nicolas asked.

"Well, duh. No matter how different woman are, all our intuitions are equally infallible. Now get down there," Sissi said.

"Uh… do we have to?" Nicolas asked. "The sewers are down there."

Sissi rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll go alone. You two losers can go back if you really want to." Her two friends immediately left. Sissi groaned and went down the tunnel. She was down halfway when she heard a voice.

"Elisabeth Delmas! What are you doing?" Her father called down. "Nurse Yolande said you were expected at the infirmary for… er… well, anyway, you never showed up. We were all very worried, and I just saw your little friends run out of the forest. Explain yourself!"

Sissi groaned and climbed back up. "I think Jim liked to you. I went to go find them, Daddy."

"You are being ridiculous, Elisabeth. Get back to class, and you have four hours of detention for this," Jean-Pierre said firmly.

"Why would they be at an escargot expo in Paris? We're in a war, Daddy!" Sissi said. "Even if they really are there, they could get bombed by Americans or something! Do you want to get sued?"

Jean-Pierre was struck silent for a few moments. "Americans won't bomb civilians. They're not cavemen. Now come on."

"What about the Russians, Daddy?"

Jean-Pierre's eyes widened just a tiny bit, and he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jim. "That's odd," Jean-Pierre said after a few moments. "The number cannot be reached, it says. They… must not have service where they are. Most likely being inside and all… now stop distracting me and get to class, young lady!"

Defeated, Sissi walked back to class, grumbling. "So paranoid, sometimes…" Jean-Pierre grumbled. "Everyone is going crazy. The whole planet is insane."

Back at the factory, oblivious that he had once again escaped discovery, Jeremie was deep in his work. That work was hacking into what could possibly be the most defended computer on Earth.

"How are you doing, Einstein?" Odd asked, sounding out of breath, even though he didn't breathe on Lyoko.

"I'm… almost there, I think. I just need to crack this sinusoidal-flux encryption algorithm using a few infinite-modulating non-Euclidean-" he began.

"That's all we needed to know," Odd interrupted. "I'm pretty exhausted physically; I don't want to be mentally exhausted. Hey, should we be exhausting ourselves like this, so close to… the biggest battle of our lives?"

"Don't worry, Odd. Virtualization recharges your stamina, and so will sending you to the base. However, when you come back, it'll all catch up with you and you will all sleep like rocks," Jeremie explained. "Ever wonder why I don't just send you right back in when you devirtualize? Because when you came back after that, you'd probably be in a coma." Jeremie chuckled, but no one else did. "Oh, right. Injury jokes… not the right time. Sorry. Going back to leet hacking now."

That did get a chuckle from everyone, except Jim. "I don't get it," he said.

"Never mind, Jim," Aelita said. She then returned to sparring with Yumi, dodging all her attacks. Or at least most of them. One caught her by surprise and she fell down.

"That is very, very important. Try your very hardest not to get caught by surprise. One slip-up and you could be… er… devirtualized." Jim said.

"But no pressure," Odd said sarcastically.

"Don't be a smart-aleck, Della Robbia. And remember, you'll have powers and weapons and such when you're there. Do not hesitate to use them."

All of a sudden, a whoop of joy echoed from the skies of Lyoko. "I DID IT!" Jeremie yelled. "I hacked the Hommes dans le Noir! Quickly, you guys, get in the tower. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep a strong enough connection open."

All five people walked into the tower, standing in a circle on the bottom platform. "Just… just consider the significance of this moment, you guys," Odd said. "We are about to go attack the force that started the third Great War."

"I… I wish I could be there with you guys," Jeremie said. "I really do."

"We know, Einstein. And here we are, about to go _so_ far, to… to save _all _that we love. And I know that if we give all we've got, we _can_ make it through. We will defeat the Hommes dans le Noir, and… make their evil go away," Odd said.

"That was a great speech… but 'make evil go away'? Honestly," Aelita said with a chuckle. "We're ready, Jeremie."

The sound of keys being tapped was heard, and soon the gang began to glow and hover above the platform. Lights began to swirl around them, and soon the blue screens from the walls shot out at the warriors, enveloping them in a sapphire light. "Good luck," Jeremie said softly as his friends were sent through the Internet to the most important mission of their lives.


End file.
